Feel The Bern

Bernie Sanders Joins Forces With Larry David On SNL

Rumors that Bernie Sanders would stop by SNL this weekend to join forces with long-lost twin Larry David were not greatly exaggerated. Sanders did indeed make an appearance on the show, and as host, David gifted us with not one, but two Sanders-themed sketches. David knows where his bread is buttered: Atop Sanders’ shiny dome.

First up was a digital short mash-up of sorts called “Bern Your Enthusiasm,” a play on David’s erstwhile (but possible not erstwhile) HBO series. As Larry-David-As-Bernie-Sanders-Inspired-By-Larry-David (or something?), David played a neurotic presidential candidate who refuses to shake Leslie Jones’ “germ-infested” hands, gets into screaming matches with his campaign staff (including Cecily Strong as a Susie Essman-esque staffer), runs away from an injured voter requesting he pop her shoulder back into its joint, and subsequently loses Iowa.

Later, Actual Bernie Sanders popped up in a sketch about immigrants traveling to America via sinking steam ship. David played yet another neurotic asshole, this time one who took issue with women and children getting lifeboats before he did: “My father is rich, so technically my life is worth more than all of your lives combined.” Sanders character, Bernie Saderswitzky—who explains he’s changing his name to Sanders when he gets to America “so it doesn’t sound so Jewish”—berates David for requesting special treatment. “I am so sick of the 1 percent getting this preferential treatment,” shrieks Sanders. “Enough is enough. We need to unite and work together.” “Sounds like socialism to me!” replies David. “Democratic socialism,” clarifies Sanders.

Not content merely to savvily campaign mid-sketch, Sanders tweeted out a fundraising request from his official account that referenced an earlier David-as-Sanders appearance: “We need your vacuum pennies. Chip in a few.”